Gains for technology companies lead US stocks higher

U.S. stocks are rising Monday morning as technology companies and banks gain ground. Some of the world's largest technology companies, including Apple and Microsoft, are leading the way, although Facebook is lagging after the New York Times reported that the social media company shared data with dozens of device makers. The company is disputing that report. Health care companies are mixed as investors react to results from studies of cancer drugs at a top medical conference.

Microsoft rose 0.7 percent to $101.53. The company said Monday it will pay $7.5 billion in stock to buy GitHub, a popular site where software developers can go to host and review each other's code. Around 27 million software developers around the world use its platform to share code and build businesses.

FACEBOOK POKED: The New York Times reported Sunday that Facebook struck data-sharing deals with at least 60 device makers, including Apple and Amazon, raising more concerns about what users give up when they use Facebook. Facebook said it disagreed with the reporting. Ime Archibong, vice president of product partnerships, said in blog post that Facebook has maintained tight control over the technology and that it is not aware of any abuse by the companies that it teamed with.

Facebook lost 1 percent to $191.96. Earlier this year the stock skidded and Facebook's handling of user data was criticized after allegations a firm linked to the Trump campaign improperly harvested personal data from as many as 87 million Facebook accounts.

CHINA'S WARNING: The Chinese government said Sunday that it won't step up purchases of American products if President Donald Trump taxes billions of dollars' worth of Chinese imports. China had promised to buy more goods from the U.S. last month, an announcement that led Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to say that the proposed tariffs were suspended and a potential trade war was "on hold." But more recently, Trump has renewed his threat to impose 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese high-tech goods.

Chipmaker Micron Technology fell following reports that it and two other companies are being investigated by the Chinese government. The stock lost 3.3 percent to $56.82.

HEALTH CARE: Companies reported results from cancer drug studies at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Nektar Therapeutics plunged 39.2 percent to $54.91 after it and a partner disclosed data from a potential treatment for pancreatic cancer. Bristol-Myers Squibb lost 4.1 percent to $50.97 while Merck gained 2.6 percent to $62.15.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude rose 0.1 percent to $65.86 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, fell 0.7 percent to $76.28 per barrel in London.

BONDS: Bond prices dipped. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.91 percent from 2.90 percent late Friday.

CURRENCIES: The dollar rose to 109.58 yen from 109.51 yen. The euro rose to $1.1721 from $1.1662.